Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
--1--
FLEXIBLE DISPENSING CLOSURE
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention rela~es to container
closures, and more particularly to squeeze bottle
dispensing closures oE the type which open to
dispense a fluid product from the bottle when the
bottle is sgueezed and automatically close when the
applied squeezing pressure is released.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
AND
TE~INICAI. PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART
A variety of packages, including dispensing
packages or containers, have been developed for
personal care products such as shampoo, lotions,
etc., as well as for other fluid materials.
A popular package design is the squeeze
bottle or flexible container which is intended to be
squeezed by the user to dispense the product. Such a
container typically includes closure through which
the product is dispensed. In some designs, the
closure automatically closes the dispensing opening
and also permits venting of air into the container to
equalize the inside and outside pressures when the
squeezing pressure is released from the container.
While some such prior art designs are
functional, there are a number of disadvantages with
such prior art designs. For example, some closures
may require the fabrica~ion and subsequent assembly
oE three or more separate pieces to form the closure.
Some closures do not dispense the fluid
product as well as would be desired, and the
structural components of the closure may tend to lose
the required flexibility or resiliency characteristics
that are desirable for con-tinued, long-term operation.
~2~
--2
Some types of closures are susceptible to
accumulation and congealing of the fluid product at
and around the dispensing orifice structure.
U~S. Patent ~o. 4,728,007 discloses a
resiliently deformable container having a discharge
orifice equipped with a self-sealing dispensing valve
in the form of a concave diaphragm formed oE a
resilient material that includes a generally straight
line slit from which the fluid product can be
dispensed. In operation, when the container is
squeezed, a threshold pressure is exceeded to effect
inversion of the diaphragm valve rom its inwardly
concave sealed position to an outwardly distended,
convex, open position permitting discharge of the
fluid product from the container. The patent
describes the structure as inverting by a 7'snap-
through buckling" so as to pass through an unstable
dead-center closed position by "snap-back buckling".
In many ~luid dispensing applications, it
would be desirable to provide an improved dispensing
closure having advantages not found in the closure
disclosed in the above discussed U.S. Patent No.
4,728,006. In particular, the use of a concave
diaphragm valve which inverts by snap-through
huckling of the type disclosed in the patent can
cause the fluid product to be expelled in a sudden,
and not easily controllable, discharge~ Indeed,
owing to the snap-through buckling action of the
resilient diaphragm, the fluid product can be
undesirably expelled in a "spitting"-like discharge.
It can be difficult for the average user to gently
discharge only a small amount of the fluid product.
Thus, it wou~d be desirable to provide an improved
closure that has a substantially reduced tendency to
"spit" out the fluid product and that can be
relatively easily controlled with respect to the
discharge of initially small amounts of the product.
~he use of a concave flexible diaphragm of
the type disclosed in the above-discussed U.S. Patent
S No. 4,728,006 necessarily results in the discharge
end of the closure being generally blunt with a
recess. Thus, during the initial positioning and
aiming of the container and dispensing closure, the
precise point at which the fluid product will be
discharged ~rom the inverted flexible diaphragm can
be somewhat difficult to judge ~or the average user.
If, for example, it is desired to apply only a very
small drop of product on the tip of one's Einger,
then the initially inverted closure diaphragm, being
recessed, would necessarily be located some small
distance away from the finger. Owing to the closure
structure surrounding the recessed diaphragm, the
exact location of the point where the fluid product
will be discharged is not readily visualized. Thus,
in many applications, it would be desirable to
provide an improved closure wherein the point of
fluid product discharge is readily observed and
initially accessible to facilitate the more precise
deposit of a very small amount of the fluid product
at a given location.
It would also be desirable to provide such
an improved dispensing closure structure with a
s,uitable configuration for functioning, if desired,
as an applicator. Then, during and after the
discharge of the fluid product from the closure, the
closure could be used to spread or otherwise engage
the deposited fluid product.
It would also be advanta~eous tG provide
such an improved dispensing closure with a
configuration that would quickly respond when
2 ~
--4--
pressure is applied to squeeze the container. The
closure described in tne above-discussed U.S. Patent
No. ~,728,006 requires a snap-through buckling
movement of the diaphragm from an inwardly concave
orientation to an outwardly convex orientation.
Until this movement has occurred, the fluid product
cannot be dispensed. In some applications, it would
be beneficial if a closure could be made more
sensitive to the applied squeezing pressure and could
therefor function to discharge the fluid product with
a reduced "lead time" required to actuate or deform
the closure structure to the open position.
As previously noted, the resilient diaphragm
valve disclosed in the above-discussed U.S. Patent
15 No. ~,728,006 is said to invert by snap-through
bucklin~ during operation. In some applications, a
dispensing closure must be operated many thousands of
times. Repeated and severe flexing of some resilient
materials might eventually cause failure of the
materials or loss of the desired resiliency. Thus,
it would be beneficial to provide an improved
dispensing closure which would operate with a reduced
flexure movement and with reduced stresses so as to
provide a relatively greater life cycle. The
employment of an improved dispensing closure
configuration that operates with reduced flexure and
with reduced stresses would desirably permi~ the
fabrication of the closure from other, and less
~xpensive, materials that would otherwise be
susceptible to tearing or other failure after a large
number of operation cycles.
Further, it would be desirable to provide an
improved dispensing closure for use with a
squeeze-type paclcage wherein the product flow out of
the closure would be cleanly cut off or terminated
when the squeezîng pressure is released~ Also, such
an improved dispensing closure should desirably
accommodate the dispensing of the fluid product when
the container is either upright or inverted.
Finally, such an improved dispensing closure should
operate to discharge the fluid product without
accumulating an undesirable amount of fluid product
on the exterior of the closure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTI ON
A fluid dispensing closure is provided for
use in a squeeze-type container that defines a
discharge opening communicating with the container
interior in which a fluid product is contained and
that is sufficiently resilient to return to a
substantially undeformed condition after applied
squeezing forces have been removed.
The closure includes a resilient dome member
for being mounted on the container and projecting
convexly outwardly over the container discharge
opening. The dome member defines at least one slit
extending thr~ugh the dome member. The dome member
is sufficiently resilient to have a normally closed
configuration in which the slit is sealed closed at
least when the pressure inside the dome member equals
the pressure outside the dome member.
The dome member is sufficiently flexible to
be deformed further outwardly ~rom and relative to
the normally closed configuration for opening the
slit when the container is squeezed to exert a
predetermined fluid pressure against the inside of
the dome member whereby the Eluid product can
discharge from the container through the open slit.
In a preferred embodiment, the dome member
is sufficiently ~lexible to be at least temporarily
deformed inwardly from and relative to the normally
closed con~iguration for opening the slit when the
pressure outside the dome member exceeds the pressure
inside the dome member so as to permit exterior air
to be vented into the container to equalize the
pressures inside and outside the container.
In the preferred form of the invention, the
dome member includes a first wall portion on one side
of the slit and a second wall portion on the other
side of the slit. The dome member is sufficiently
~lexible to permit the first and second wall portions
to overlap when the dome member is in the normally
closed configuration.
Numerous other advantages and Eeatures of
the present invention will become readily apparent
from the following detailed description of the
invention, from the claimsr and from the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DR~WINGS
In the accompanying drawings forming part of
the specification, in which like numerals are
employed to designate like parts throughout the same,
FIG. l is a fragmentary, perspective view of
a first embodiment of the fluid dispensing closure of
the present invention shown mounted on a squeeze-type
container with the closure lid in an open position
relat;ve to the ~losure body or base;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional
view of the container and closure shown in FIG. 1
rotated so that the closure lid is not visible in the
plane of the figure and showing the container being
squeezed to discharge the fluid product from the
closure;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but with
the squeezin~ pressure released from the container
and the resilient container beginning to return to
2 ~
-7
the substantially undeformed condition whereby the
closure begins to close and terminate the discharge
of the fluid pro~.uct as the interior of the container
is vented with higher pressure exterior air;
FIG. 4 is a view similar ~o FIG. 3, but
showing the closure in the sealed closed position
upon termination of the fluid product discharge from
the container;
FIG. 5 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary,
cross-sectional view of the resilient dome member of
the first embodirnent closure illustrated in FIGS. 1-
~shown in an initially Eabricated closed position;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but with
the dome member deformed outwardly from and relative
to the initially fabricated closed configuration
illustrated in FIG. 5 so as to open the closure;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but wi.th
the dome member shown temporarily deformecl inwardly
from and relative to the initially fabricated closed
configuration illustrated in FIG. 5 so as to open the
dome member slit to permit exterior air to be vented
into the container;
FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but
showing the dome member after completion of the
2~ venting process wherein first and second wall
portions of the dome member overlap in a normally
closed configuration;
FIG. 9 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary,
cross-sectional view of a seconcl embodiment oE the
closure of the present invention which includes a
vent valve member;
FIG. 10 is an explocled, perspective view,
partially in cross-section, of the second embodiment
of the closure illustrat~d in FIG. 9;
--8--
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, top plan view of
the second embodiment of the closure illustrated in
FIGS. 9-10
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional
view taken generally along the plane 12-12 in FI~. 11
and showing the closure vent valve member in the
closed position;
~IG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12, but
showing the vent valve member in the open position;
and
FIG. 1~ is a fragmentary plan view of a
third embodiment of a closure of the present
invention with the closure lid shown in the open
position.
DESCRIPTION OF T~E PREFERRED EMBODI~ENTS
While this invention is susceptible of
embodiment in many dif~erent forms, this
specification and the accompanying drawings disclose
some specific forms as examples of the use of the
invention. The invention is not intended to be
limited to the embodiments so described, and the
scope of the invention will be pointed out in the
appended claims.
The precise shapes and sizes of the
components herein described are not essential to the
invention unless otherwise indicated. Some of the
figures illustrating the preferred embodiments of the
dispensing closure of the present invention show
structural elements that will be recognized by one
skilled in the art. However, the detailed
descriptions of such elements are not necessary to an
understanding of the invention, and accordingly, are
not herein presented.
With reference now to the Eigures, the first
embodiment of the closure of the present invention is
- 9 -
represented generally by the numeral 20 in FIGS.
1-8. The closure 20 is adapted to be disposed on a
container, such as the container 22 which has a
conventional mouth or opening defined by a neck 26 or
other suitable structure. The closure 20 may be
fabricated from a thermoplastic material, or other
materials, compatible with the container contents.
As best illustrated in FIG5. 1 and 2, the
closure 20 includes a base, body, or housing 30 for
securement to the container 22. In the illustrated
embodiment, the housing 30 includes a peripheral wall
in the form of a cylindrical skirt or peripheral side
wall 34.
As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the housing
30 includes an internal sealing ring 36 which
functions as a seal and protrudes against or into the
container neck 26 for engaging a peripheral surface
of the neck 26 to effect a tight seal.
Further, as best illustrated in FIG. 4, the
housing peripheral side wall 34 includes, on its
interior surface, a conventional thread 38 or other
suitable means (e.g., a snap-fit bead tnot
illustrated)) for engaging suitable cooperating
means, such as a thread 40, on the container neck 26
to releasably secure the housing 30 to the container
22.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the
housing 30 includes a top wall 50 defining a
cylindrical dispenr,ing aperture 52 (FIG. 2). As best
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the top wall 50 has an
exterior or upper surEace 54 exterior oE the
container 22 ancl an interior or lower surEace 56
facing the interior oE the container 22. The housing
30 Eurther includes a cylindrical collar 5B which
projects upwardly from the housing top wall upper
2 ~
--10--
around the cylindrical dispensing aperture 52 as best
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The housing 30 may be
molded from a suitable thermoplastic material such
as, for example, polypropylene.
The closure 20 further includes a resilient
insert member 60 mounted within the dispensing
aperture 52 of the housing 30. The insert member 60
defines at its upper end a flexible and resilient
dome member 62. As best illustrated in FIG. S, the
dome member 62 includes a first wall portion 71 and a
second wall portion 72. The wall portions 71 and 72
are divided by at least one through slit 74. The
slit 74 functions to permit the discharge of the
Eluid product 75 from the container in a manner
described in detail hereinafterO
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in
FIG, 5, the dome member 62 has a generally
hemispherical configuration, The wall portions 71
and 72 are o~ substantially uniform thickness, and
the slit 74 has a substantially linear configuration
extending across a major portion of the dome member
62.
The insert member 60 includes a hollow
cylindrical portion 80 exten~ing inwardly from the
dome member 62. The hollow cylindrical portion 80
extends through both the top wall collar 58 and the
dispensing aperture 52 of the housing 30. The hollow
cylindrical portion 80 is in circumferential sealing
engagement with the collar 58 and with the top wall
50 at the dispensing aperture 52.
The innermost end of the insert member 60
terminates in a radially extending Elange 8~ as best
illustrate~ in FIG. 2. The flange 8~ is adapted to
engage the lower or interior surface 56 oE the
housing top wall 50. ~s illustrated in FIG. 2, the
interior surface 56 of the housing top wall 50
defines an annular recess 88 for receiving the flange
84.
The insert member 60 also includes an upper
or exterior peripheral shoulder or flange 90 which
extends radially outwardly from the dome member 62 on
top of the housing collar 58 around the periphery of
the cylindrical aperture 52. The upper or exterior
flange 90 and the lower or interior flange 8~
~unction to locate and retain the insert member 60 in
the housing cylindrical aperture 52.
Finally, a cover 92 is mounted to the edge
of the closure housing 30 as illustrated in FIG. 1.
The cover 92 is adapted to be pivoted between a
closed position over the dome member 62 and an open
position spaced away from the dome member 62 (FIG. 1).
The cover 92 may be a completely removable
cover. In the preEerred embodiment, the cover 92 is
connected to the housing 30 by a suitable means, such
as a snap-action hinge 94 as illustrated in FIG. 1.
Such ~ snap-action hinge 9~ is formed integrally with
the closure housing 30 and cover 92. The illustrated
snap-action hinge 94 is a conventional type described
in U.S.A. patent Mo. ~,~03,712.
The insert member 60 may be fabricated from
suitably flexible and resilient materials. These
include thermoplastic materials such as
polypropylene, polyethylene, copolyester elastomers,
polyurethane, various styrenes, and chlorinated
olefins. It is also contemplated that other
Materials may be used, such as thermoset materials
including silicone, natural rubber, and ethylene,
polypropylene.
-12-
The insert member 60 is preferably
sufficiently flexible and resilient to accommodate
initial insertion of the insert member 60 into the
housing 30 during fabrication of the closure 20.
However, it will be appreciated that, in another form
of the invention, the portion of the insert member 60
within the housing 30 may be rigid, or may be
integrally molded as part of the housing 30O
In any event, at least the dome member 62 o the
insert member 60 is su~ficiently flexible and
resilient to accommodate operation oE the closure to
dispense the fluid product from within the container
22.
The closure of the present invention has
15 , been found to function well in dispensing a fluid
product. In particular, the closure functions
initially to retain the fluid product 75 within the
container until a predetermined fluid pressure is
exerted against the inside of the closure. To this
end, when the closure is initially fabricated, the
closure dome member 62 has an intially closed
position as best illustrated in FIG. 5 wherein the
ends of the first and second wall portions 71 and 72
at the slit 74 are generally in registry and in
sealing engagement. In this configuration, the slit
74 is closed.
The fluid product 75 may be dispensed from
the container 22 by squeezing the container. The
fluid product 75 is most conveniently discharged by
holding the container in a generally inverted or
downwardly angled orientation as illustrated in FIGS.
2-4. While this orientation is not necessary, it
allows the Eluid product to be readily discharged
onto a selected surface.
As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the container
22 is squeezed, as indicated by the inwardly directed
2~2~
force arrows 102 in FIG. 2, to produce a Eluid
pressure within the container 22 that equals or
exceeds a predetermined fluid pressure at which the
dome member 62 opens. As the dome member 62 opens r
the fluid product 75 is expelled through the slit 74
as a stream or discharge 106.
After the desired amount of product has been
dispensed, the squeezing pressure is released from
the container 22. Owing to the resilient
characteristics o~ the container 22, the wall or
walls of the container 22 return to the substantially
undeformed condition in response to the inherent
resilient forces schematically represented by force
arrows 110 in FIG. 3.
When the squeezing pressure is released, and
as the container 22 returns to the undeformed
condition, the ~ome mernber 62 begins to close to cut
off the flow of product 75 from the container 22. As
the container 22 continues to return to the
undeformed condition, a reduced interior pressure
resultsO The greater pressure exterior of the
container forces the dome member wall portions 71 and
72 to be temporarily drawn inwardly from and relative
to the originally closed confiquration as best
illustrated in FIG. 7 (wherein the orignally closed
configuration is illustrated in phantom by dashed
lines and wherein the temporarily inwardly deformed
~onEiguration is illustrated in solid lines).
As the discharge of the fluid product is
terminated, and the greater exterior pressure forces
the ambient atmosphere into the container 22 through
the now inwardly open slit 7~. This is indicated by
the arrow 116 in FIG. 7. Eventually, the interior
pressu~e in the container 22 is equalized with the
~ ~ 2 ~
14~
exterior pressure. At that point, the resiliency of
the dome member wall portions 71 and 72 urges the
wall portions 71 and 72 to return or spring back
outwardly toward the initially closed position.
It has been found that the dome member ~2
functions in a unic~e manner when fabricated from
certain materials with certain dimensional
relationships. E'or example, in a preferred
embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, the dome member
is fabricated froTn a chlorinated olefin material
having a thickness ranging from about 0.010 inch to
about 0.050 inch at the center of the dome. The
outer spherical radius of the dome member 62 is about
0.286 inch and the inner spherical radius of the dome
15 member 62 i5 about 0.246 inch. The inner diameter of
the dome member 62 is about 0.320 inch. The cord
length of the slit in the dome member 62 is about
0.320 inch.
It will be appreciated that when the dome
member wall portions 71 and 72 are in the inwardly
deformed, open vent position illustrated in FIG. 7,
the edges of the wall portions 71 and 72 are forced
into an overlying, but spaced-apart, relationship.
It has been found that when the container interior
pressure has been equalized with the ambient exterior
pressure, the wall portions 71 and 72 do not return
complete:ly to the original outermost conEigur~tion
that was defined by the dome member when it was
initially fabricated (i.e., FIGS. 1 and 5). ~s best
illustrated in FIG. 8, the dome member wall portions
71 and 72 remain somewhat inwardly deformed, but are
laterally overlapped in sealing engagement along the
end edges defining the slit 74.
In the new closed configuration of the dome
member as illustrated in FIG. 8, the wall portions 71
and 72 are in a sealing engagement, and the slit 7
may be defined as a slit having an offset or
15-
laterally oriented region 74l along the overlapping
edges of the wall portions 71 and 72.
It will be appreciated that the wall
portions 71 and 72 could be reversed in the closed
position with wall portion 72 being located inwardly
of wall portion 71.
A second embodiment of the closure of the
present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9-13 and is
designated generally therein by the reference numeral
200.
The closure 200 includes a housing 230
somewhat similar to the housing 30 described above
with reference to the first embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 1-8. Mounted in the housing 230 is an insert
member 260 having a dome member 262. The dorne member
262 may be molded from thermoplastic materials or
other suitable resilient materials as described above
with respect to the first embodiment illustrated in
FIGS~ 1-8. It is contemplated that the second
embodiment dome member 262 would be preferably
employed in those applications wherein it is desired
to use stiffer materials and/or use a greater
thickness of material. However, thinner sections and
more flexible materials could also be used.
The second embodiment housing 230 includes a
peripheral wall or skirt 234 for being secured to the
container (not illustrated) in any suitable manner,
inclu~ing the conventional techniques discussed above
with respect to the first embodiment of the closure
housing 30 illustrated in FIGS~ 1-8.
The closure 230 includes a top wall 250
having an upper or exterior surface 25~ and a lower
or interior surface 256. A collar 258 projects
upwardly fzom the upper surface 25~ of the closure
top wall 250. The top wall 250 and collar 258 define
2 ~ 2 ~
a cylindrical dispensing aperture 252 in which the
insert member 260 is disposed.
The collar 258 and top wall 250 define a
generally vertically oriented channel 2Ç5 that is
open to the dispensing aperture 252 at one side (as
best illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12~ and that defines
a vent passage alongside the insert member 260. A
portion of ~he closure housing top wall 250, at the
interior or lower surface 256, defines a partially
circumferential recess 267 opening to the vertical
channel 265.
~ he insert member 260 includes a hollow
cylindrical portion 280 extending inwardly from the
dome member 262 through the housing collar 258 and
top wall 250 in the dispensing aperture 252. The
hollow cylindrical portion 280 is in circumferential
sealing engagement with the collar 258 and housing
top wall 250 ex~ept at the channel 265 and recess 267
where the vent passage is defined alongside the
insert member cylindrical portion 252.
As best illustrated in FIG. 9, the insert
member 260 has an upper or exterior peripheral
shoulder or flange 290 for engaging the top oE the
housing collar 258. The shoulder or ~lange 290 is,
however, notched or discontinuous at the vent passage
channel 265 to permit communication between the
interior of the vent channel 265 and the exterior of
the housing 230.
The insert member 260 includes an interior
or lower peripheral flange 28~ at the bottom of the
hollow cylindrical portion 280. The Elange 284
extends radially outwardly from the hollow
cylindrical portion 280 around the periphery oE the
housing cylindrical aperture 252. The upper Elange
`35 or shoulder 290 and the lower flange 284 function to
2 ~
-17-
locate and retain the insert member 260 in the
housing cylindrical aperture 252.
The insert member lower flange 284 also
extends radially beyond the recess 267 in the housing
top wall 250 and sealingly engages the lower surface
256 oE the housing top wall 250 beyond the recess
267. Preferably, as best illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10,
12~ and 13, the flange 284 includes an upwardly
projecting sealing rim 293 for effecting a peripheral
seal against the lower surface 256 of the housiny top
wall 250.
The dome member 262 of the insert member 260
is provided with a slit 274 from which the fluid
product can be discharged. The slit 274 lies
generally in a vertical plane across a major portion
of the diameter of the dome member 262. In
applications wherein the diameter of the dome member
262 is relatively small and/or wherein the thickness
of the dome member 262 is relatively great, wall
20 portions 271 and 272 of the dome member 262 on either
side of the slit 274 will not deform to as great an
extent as the first embodiment dome member wall
portions 71 and 72 described above with reference to
FIGS. 5-8. Thus, such relatively less flexible wall
25 portions 271 and 272, unlike the wall portions 71 and
72 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, may not deEorm
inwardly suEf.iciently to permit adequate venting of
the container after the fluid product has been
discharged and the squeezing pressure has been
released.
Instead, alternative or supplemental venting
is provided through the vent passage 265 and recess
267. The greater exterior pressure in the passage
265 and recess 2~7 acts inwardly against the ~lange
35 284 to cause the flange 284 to move inwardly away
-18-
from the lower surface 256 of the housing top wall
250 when the resilient container returns to the
substantially undeformed condition. FIGo 13
schematically illustrates the ambient atmosphere
venting through the housing 230 as indicated by
arrows 316~
It will be appreciated that the dome member
(first embodiment dome member 62 or second embodiment
dome member 262) may have other suitable shapes.
FIG. 14 illustrates an alternate embodiment wherein a
dome member 462 has an oval or elliptical shape.
Such a differently shaped dome member can be provided
in a suitable closure housing 430 which may be
similar to the first embodiment housing 30 or second
embodiment housing 230 with appropriate modifications
as would be apparent to accept the oval shape of the
dome member.
The closure of the present invention may be
easily fabricated. Only two p~eces need be molded--a
housing piece and insert member piece having a
flexible dome member. Assembly of the two pieces can
be readily and easily effected, especially when the
entire insert member is molded from a suitable
resilient material that can be easily forced into
seating engagement within the housing.
The closure oE the present invention
effectively operates to dischar~e a Eluid product
from a squeeze container with little or no spitting
and in a manner that can be relatively easily
controlled~ The amount of Elexure or flexing
movement to which the closure pieces are subjected is
relatively small. Thus, the closure is very
responsive to the squeezinc3 action, and the flexinc3
stresses are minimized. A wider range of materials
can thus be used for fabricating the closure of the
present invention.
2~2~
-19-
The convex configuration of the dome member
of the present invention permits the fluid product to
be easily observed at the point of discharge.
Additionally, the dome member can be used as an
applicator to engage and spread the discharged fluid
product.
It will be readily observed from the
foregoing detailed description of the invention and
from the illustrated embodiments thereoE that
numerous variations and modifications may be effected
without departing from the true spirit and scope of
the novel concepts or principles of this invention.
